Can I use diamond stones with the SharpMate?Updated 14 days ago

The SharpMate wasn’t originally designed for diamond plates since they’re thinner than standard water stones, but you can use them with a few simple adjustments.

The main challenge is that diamond plates are about 1/8” thick—much thinner than water stones (which are usually about 1” thick).While this thickness clamps into the SharpMate just fine, it leaves the stone clamp exposed at the end of the stroke. It becomes quite easy to accidentally drive the blade being sharpened into this clamp. While the aluminum of the clamp is aluminum, making it softer than the blade, it can still dull or even chip the blade.

There are two possible solutions to this problem, depending on your chisels and diamond plates:

Solution #1: Add a rubber strip to the clamp block

Attaching a strip of rubber (we recommend 60-durometer neoprene) to the face of the clamp block provides something safe for the blade to run into at the end of its stroke, if needed. This strip of rubber will need to be replaced periodically, but if it is 60-durometer, it should last fairly well. 

Note: This option might not work well with very short chisels, as they may not reach the stone.

Solution #2: Mount the diamond plate to a wood block

If your diamond plate is single-sided, you can mount it permanently to a ¾”–⅞” thick wood block using double-sided tape. Once mounted in this manner, it can be used as a direct substitution for the water stone that comes with the SharpMate kit. 

The benefit of this method is that it will also work with shorter chisels, as they will still be able to reach the stone.